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Monday, May 15, 2006

The Sartorialist In DNR

I could not be more thrilled by the article in this weeks DNR written by the lovely Sandra Nygaard.DNR is the bible of the menswear industry, I have been reading it since high school so this is a big deal to me.

Making WavesAs Gawker is the guilty pleasure of the New York media industry, ask any local fashion insider what’s bookmarked on their computer and it’s likely to be The Sartorialist (Thesartorialist.blogspot.com). Scott Schuman, 38, is the man behind the camera of this photo-driven blog site that focuses on the style of well-dressed New Yorkers from all walks of life. A former industry player who owned a showroom representing young designers, Schuman has no formal background in photography, new media or journalism, but his sharp photos, incisive interviews and clever commentary have created an outlet that’s savvy without being snobby. The animated and energetic blogger met with DNR to discuss how his site has grown into a mini-phenomenon. —SANDRA NYGAARD

DNR: What made you want to launch your blog?SCOTT SCHUMAN: When I first started it, I thought it would be all photos with not a lot of writing. I had been taking photos for a while in Chinatown, Harlem and Fulton Fish Market and I started realizing I had an interesting collection. They were style-driven but didn’t have anything do with fashion. I added new shots of people I’m inspired by with these oldershots and thought it might make a kind of cool site.

Tell me about your audience and how it’s grown since you started nine months ago.The first month it was about 10,000 visits, and now I get about 6,000 visits and about 13,000 page views a day. My slowest month has been only 30 percent growth. I’d estimate that 20 to 30 percent of my readers are international. I did a survey and found out that my audience is 56 percent men, and age-wise 50 percent are in their twenties.

What about your site appeals to them?An important part is that it’s a fashion site that’s not bitchy. It’s about style, not about how expensive things are. One photo could be of someone wearing Kiton, the next photo can be of an old guy in a really old suit or a skater.

How do you pick your photo subjects?Something has to strike me about them. I don’t go out with any preconceived notions. Sometimes it’s seeing something quickly and deciding if I can find something interesting about it. Sometimes it’s not the whole outfit, sometimes it’s just the shoes.

What is the next level in terms of growth?Robert Burke may become sort of a partner with me. We’re still trying to figure out how it will work. I think it’ll be something like using his consultancy to get an investor to help take me to the next level. There’s advertising potential for something like this. A lot of high-end men’s wear firms don’t really have a lot of places to advertise—certainly not on the Web. There will be more interviews. If we get an investor it’ll be more visual, with photos side by side or pop-up windows. Right now it’s very New York–driven, but I’ll start going to the shows in Europe and Pitti Uomo. I can shoot backstage and capture the excitement in a different way. I’m also thinking of starting events with retailers, where I sit down with a designer. I’ll ask my own questions, people in the audience can ask questions and I’ll also ask questions that people have written in to my site.

What role do you ultimately envision for yourself?I could see me being the Anthony Bourdain of the fashion world. In his book he says something like, “I’m not going to rip the veil off the cooking industry. I’m not trying to change it. I don’t hate it. I’m part of it. I’m just going to talk about it in the way that other cooks might be interested in hearing about it.” That’s what I’d like to do.

GREAT, AND MODEST INTERVIEW SARTORIALIST. I HAVE BEEN CHECKING THIS SITE ADDICTIVELY FOR THE PAST 2 MONTHS, AND IT NEVER CEASES TO AMAZE ME. HOWEVER WHEN YOU ENTERPRISE WITH THE GREAT MR. BURKE, PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU DO NOT GO TOO COMMERCIAL. PLEEEEASE, I UNDERSTAND MAKING A PROFIT IS UNEVITABLE ESPECIALLY ON AN IDEA THIS FRESH, BUT DO NOT STRAY AWAY FROM YOUR ROOTS.I'M SURE YOU WON'T DISSAPPOINT YOUR LOYAL (ORIGINAL) FANBASE.

Congrats -- Grow, but don't change. You're perfect! Since leaving New York (my previous home of 15 years) you have been my line back to my favorite part of living there-- the street fashion that is so distinctively New York. You keep my homesickness at bay, with your honest eye. Thanks!

Anonymous said ... (11:15 PM) :

You're very right about why your site appeals to people. Also, it was interesting to read that you have no formal photography training.

congrats! keep up the awesome work! No formal training in photography? Wow! Then you must have some serious talent, 'cause you seem to capture people at their best. If I come to NY, will you take my photo?

Anonymous said ... (6:22 PM) :

Popups and color = not work safe and visually tiring. Please don't do it.